Saturday, August 22, 2009

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When the scale arrived, I was pleased to find that it was the same scale Jake's previous preschool had used. They actually taught the kindergarten curriculum to their pre-k classes, so I knew I had made the right choice.

1) I think the primary colors are very inviting to children, as are the teddy bear weights.

2) The weights came in units that were multiples of 3, which allowed me to introduce a new pattern for counting. Previously, we had worked on counting by twos, fives, and tens.

3) This scale is perfect for teaching addition and subtraction. For example, I would place a blue #6 bear on one side of the scale and ask my son how many #3 bears would you need to make the scale balance out? Doing this showed him that 3+3=6.

4) This scale also allows my son to create his own experiments. Instead of my asking "How many units does this pen weigh?", he was thrilled to think of his own questions, such as which weighs more . . . this Power Ranger or this diecast car?

5) Jake really grew to like the process of trial and error. He could play with this scale for hours.

6) Lastly, I'd like to point out the simple construction of this scale. It is very user-friendly for a child. The bears can be stored within the two plastic containers, which by the way, can be used to do experiments with liquid or smaller objects, such as beans. Also, the green lever easily adjusts the scale to zero just by sliding it to the left or the right, so this scale can be used on most surfaces.

You can currently find this scale for just $18.99 at Discount School Supply, who is offering Free Shipping for a limited time on orders over $79 of eligible in-stock items.

Thank you to Discount School Supply for providing is with a this educational product free of charge.